Creative Environmental Exhibition: Revealing Insights through Multi-Sensory Museum Experiences and Vignette Analysis for Enhanced Audience Engagement

Abstract

In an era where an increasing number of people find it challenging to grasp scientifically accurate environmental data, the need for more engaging museum exhibits to convey this information has never been more crucial. This article discusses Daptec Flat Holm which is a data physicalisation technology project on Flat Holm Island, Wales. Flat Holm Island is designated as a site of special scientific interest and is a local nature reserve. This project aims to understand how we might improve people’s engagement with environmental data through a multi-sensory museum exhibit. To achieve this, the project team applied a new creative approach to make the presentation of environmental data more engaging to a diverse science museum audience. Employing a user-centered methodology, this study reveals insights derived from three distinct user experience investigations conducted during the summer of 2022. The main contribution lies in how the researchers have extracted the nuances from the audience reactions and then identified potential audience types, their points of engagement, as well as their challenges. In detail, the findings illustrate how the application of a vignette data analysis technique revealed distinct audience types, including passive observers, active users, engaged ambassadors, disinterested participants, critical friends, and enthusiastic collaborators. In summary, the paper offers recommendations into how we might further engage a broader audience in technology mediated environmental museum exhibitions.